Finding Truth While Struggling with Addiction
The search for truth has become a common cliché in pseudo-philosophical culture, and one which has completely lost its resonance on a greater spiritual level, particularly in Western society. Many critics will rightfully reason that this is partly because of the excess of an ultra-capitalist society which re-prioritizes the goals and morals of individuals who have, in a sense, been reconfigured to adapt to very anti-human ways. Universities – once the leading communities of reason, debate, and innovative thinking – have also become obsessed with driving capital and generating profit, as more programs are cut which have offered so much insight into the human soul for generations.[i] And in a world which is bombarded by stimuli and the push for instant gratification, once one steps back it’s easy to see how we have gone wrong, having forged a troubling addiction to a surface, material culture trend. Many await the revolution, while others embark on their own quests for self-fulfillment and enlightenment. But more than ever, the need to seek the truth is not only crucial on a personal level, but also for the wellbeing of society as a whole.]
Our Obsessions
As individuals, we are addicted – though often begrudgingly – to a circumstance of being and a pattern of thought which simply because it serves the purposes of those who run the system, completely restructures our natural state of being. Humans are creatures of curiosity and great thought, but modern media culture and the conventional workplace ethic has done much to suppress this. Under the misguided names of practicality, necessity, responsibility, and even logic, the majority of people are expected to work hard undignified laborious hours for little pay and experience gratification in instant form, usually material, as a way of self-affirmation. We live in what David Cain calls “A Culture of Unnecessaries” in a world where our future is almost immediately determined from birth, varying only where class and luck come into the picture (as well as hard work, but that is another story).[ii]
So how do humans cope? As Cain states, there is a certain kind of addiction to work – the sense that placing this above all other needs is what constitutes true accomplishment, but even then, it is not enough. People escape through media, through consumerism, and some even escape through literal mental and spiritual displacement, forcing a distance between themselves and their community. Particularly during different times, substance abuse and addiction also arises out of this – whether it’s to enhance individual performance or experience a pleasure euphoric enough that compensates for the stress outside of it, and hard drugs which serve as “downers” like heroin have been on the increase while others have decreased. Many rehabilitative centers find that recovery entails much more than simply chemical detox, but a redefinition of the self, and the undertaking of a very personal, spiritual journey which realigns things. Many people must undergo deep, and even very difficult moments of unearthing deep-seated problems – and unsurprisingly, they often turn to art as a way to rediscover a certain kind of truth. Be it through individual endeavors or even art therapy, the process of using media and the creative element can be used to help cope with particular mental questions.
Indeed, art – whether it is in the tracts of Plato or the poetry of Whitman – has the capacity to restore a sense of truth in all of us. There is no coincidence that Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth, believed that without our myths and allegories in society, we lose track of ourselves, our sense of ethos becomes non-existent, and we seek new myths and cultures in a misguided way.[iii] These cultures can entail anything from gang culture to political extremes to the very mainstream culture in which we participate as a habit, and where finding truth is not a priority, nor is investing in the very thing – such as the arts, spirituality, and other mediums – through which we can access it.
We must learn to break free of our habits and addictions with our current society, but of course, it’s not always simple, and different mediums will work for different people. Truth will inevitably take a different shape today than it did thousands of years ago, when Greeks and Egyptians cultivated their own enlightened schools of thought.[iv] But it is time to begin at the personal level before we can truly penetrate the social level, and bring in the tide of things which need to turn in order to help nurture a truly awe-inspiring, fulfilled, and compassionate world.
[i] ArtandEducation.net. “Emory University Eradicates its Visual Arts Department, Portending an Ominous Trend in University Education”. Accessed December 8, 2014.
http://www.artandeducation.net/paper/emory-university-eradicates-its-visual-arts-department-portending-an-ominous-trend-in-university-education/
[ii] FilmsForAction.org. “Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed (The Real Reason For The Forty-Hour Workweek)”. Accessed December 8, 2014.
http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/your_lifestyle_has_already_been_designed/
[iii] BillMoyers.com. “The Power of Myth”. Accessed December 8, 2014.
http://billmoyers.com/spotlight/download-joseph-campbell-and-the-power-of-myth-audio/
[iv] Iep.Utm.Edu. “Ancient Greek Philosophy”. Accessed December 8, 2014.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/greekphi/
freelance article by Helen Gordon